The bipartisan California Problem Solvers Caucus has a plan. They want to suspend the state's gas excise tax for one year, ensure 100 percent of the savings are passed on to consumers, and use part of the state's massive budget surplus to replace the lost tax revenue for vital infrastructure projects.
And even though there’s support for the proposal, there may not be enough to pass it into law.
Senate Republican Leader Scott Wilk of Santa Clarita was quick to point out, his caucus had proposed the very same idea last year. But he said it wouldn’t matter, unless enough Democrats voted for the proposal.
Alex Stack, a spokesperson for Gov. Gavin Newsom, told Cal Matters in a statement "there's no guarantee under this proposal that the benefits will be passed on to Californians who've been paying more at the pump, and not just go back to oil companies and corporations."
Furthermore, the Democratic leaders of the state Assembly and Senate have made it abundantly clear that suspending gas taxes isn't their preferred form of relief.
But the Legislature has yet to introduce any bills on the matter.
